Last week, Remi had a lunch meeting in Arles so I invited myself along. Not for the lunch itself – of which I partook before leaving the house – but for the ride back into the amazing town that we lived in from 2005 until last July.
It was, surprisingly, whip winded cold due to the arrival of the Mistral. Still, I was delighted, as nothing wipes the sky clean like those head-rocking gales.
Everything is illuminated. The light comes in like a side-winder and then pulls back with a long scrape so every last detail is in relief.
I know Arles so well that on instagram recently, one of my friends there posted a photo of a closed shutter against a pink wall and I knew exactly where it was located.
Because I have had enough time to go off the beaten path…
…until even that has become familiar.
But here is the thing. Blame it on the Mistral but I felt that my eyes had been wiped clean too.
Those filters in my head of, “Oh, that is too touristy…” “I can’t photograph the Roman Arena all the time…” “that is too obvious a shot…” “I have already taken that before…”
…were just…gone.
And so I walked around, giddy with my camera cupped in my hands…
…feeling like a greedy monster grabbing at all that I could.
“Gobble, Gobble,” she said and it ain’t even Thanksgiving…yet.
But I am giving thanks.
For the light, for the monuments, for all of those years…
…of being able to take in such beauty, both ephemeral and yet utterly enduring, everyday.
It was – and is – such an incredible gift. A light to a light.
Did I find myself missing Arles? I did. And I do. I know. But I have already established that I am a sentimental fool with my heart in many places. So that, is that.
And the (hopefully) good news? That hunger that comes after a long sleep made me snap and snap and snap. You would have thought that it was my final visit to that old town and not just a random opportunity. So I have many, many posts-worth of photos for you. The bad news? My dear little Canon G12 started acting up that day (in revolt?) and is now not working at all despite my desperate shufflings through the manual. Eeee. To be continued…
I so love looking at your photos, they capture the beauty and simplicity of not only nature, but the beauty or a rusted door knocker, a chipped door and so much more.
Thank you for sharing! I am looking forward to more.
Not sad, just a little freaked out as we can't afford to replace it and I really loved this one – it is not an SLR but not a pocket camera and great for blogging as it is small enough to not cause attention. We shall see…and thank you for the compliment. 🙂
No I don't, G. But I am the one that put the word verification back on for my blog as there were others losing comments as well. I am sorry about it…I know that it is a pain…but I know of too many people (on blogger and not WP by the way) who have had troubles as of late…
Yikes is right. And you would have a field day with this beautiful light, Lorrie!
Oh my! The streets are so narrow that they make driving a challenge even for experienced drivers…I would be afraid that we would end up IN the Rhone River!!!
And yes, you are right (and probably remember when I was shooting with my old camera) it is way too new to be having problems already…hope yours straightens up too…
Mahalo, Bill. I grew up reading the classics so some of those words are still stuck in my brain – just as sometimes I use the British spellings of words like "colours" instead of the American ones!
Hope all is well with you in Hawaii…
So far no dice and I am beyond freaked out! But thank you for the compliment – like I said I have many more to share… 🙂
The places we love always remain so…
Artists and travelers return to the places they love. The roots are too deep to pull out completely.
Something new is always discovered,you have fresh eyes again.The photos are wonderful.
The Mistral doing its magic.Everything has its own lifespan. Cameras not exempted.
Please don’t be sad.
The clarity of your new view is wonderful. Your little camera was excelling itself. Do hope it can be fixed. Re the lost comments of the post before last; I doubt you are being hacked because since last week, I have had to prove I am not a robot before being able to leave a comment on your site. Do you have to do the same when you comment on my WP blog?